A conventional Long Term Evolution (LTE) cellular communication network 10, as shown in FIG. 1, includes a Radio Access Network (RAN) 12 including a number of Evolved/E-UTRAN Node Bs (eNBs) 14-1 through 14-3 (generally referred to herein collectively as eNBs 14 and individually as eNB 14) that provide wireless radio access to wireless devices, otherwise known as user equipment devices (UEs) (not shown). The eNBs 14 communicate with one another via X2 connections and communicate with a core network 16 via S1 connections. The core network 16 includes one or more Mobility Management Entities (MMEs) 18, which are control nodes that are responsible for, among other things, tracking UEs as they move through the LTE cellular communication network 10. The MMEs 18 are also responsible for assigning the UEs to Serving-Gateways (S-GWs) 20. The S-GWs 20 route and forward user data packets, while also acting as mobility anchors for the user plane during inter-eNB handovers and as anchors for mobility between LTE and other 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) technologies.
FIG. 2 illustrates a heterogeneous deployment of both eNBs 14 and Home Evolved/E-UTRAN Node Bs (HeNBs) 22-1 through 22-3 (generally referred to herein collectively as HeNBs 22 and individually as HeNB 22) that has been proposed to improve coverage and increase capacity of the LTE cellular communication network 10. The addition of low-power base stations (LP-BSs), such as the HeNBs 22, to the LTE cellular communication network 10 poses new problems not present in a conventional homogeneous cellular communication network. Like the eNBs 14, the HeNBs 22 use S1 connections to communicate with the core network 16 (not shown) and X2 connections to communicate with other HeNBs 22 and eNBs 14. In particular, there is a need for systems and methods that improve management of X2 communication between base stations and, in particular, between the eNB 14 and the HeNBs 22.